


Never Say Goodbye

by Misaki_Kurenai



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Police, Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Blood, Character Death, F/M, Feels, Murder, POV Female Character, POV First Person, Police, Reader-Insert, Written a long time ago, decided to make it a first submission for 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 22:50:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9208607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misaki_Kurenai/pseuds/Misaki_Kurenai
Summary: [Police/Cop AU] You've never said those words to anyone. You believed that those words were final and never dared to say them to those you love. Until one day, you were forced to say them to your husband.





	

**Author's Note:**

> *snaps fingers* Happy New Year’s angst! (☞ﾟ∀ﾟ)☞ it’s a great time to complete the unfinished fanfics from 2016 (i wrote this in August 2016 but i just never finished it)! So enjoy! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
> 
> WARNING, this story contains blood. If you are not able to handle the distress, turn back oAo

 

_**Never Say Goodbye** _

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~** _

 

They say that if you say "good-bye," to someone, that would be the last time you would be able to see them.  
  
That's why, I never say those words to anyone.  
  
I never mentioned it to anyone, but I don't want every encounter to be final. I've lost loved ones in the past and my last words to them were always "good-bye," before I left their sides. It hurts to know that one of those times that I said that phrase, was truly the final farewell. Henceforth, I dedicated myself to never say that phrase when parting ways with any friend or person I met.  
  
  
But, I never thought that this would happen.  
  
Nobody thought it would.  
  
  
Last night, my husband Rin told me about the latest case that he's been working on. A serial killer by the name of "The Cutter" has been loose, slitting the throats of his targets. He's left messages to the police about being late to save his victims. Each video, image, or note became more brutal than the last.  
  
When Rin reached the front door to go to work, he turned to me and gave me a bitter smile, "I shouldn't tell you to take care of yourself, right?" he knew that I could do that anyways.  
  
I shook my head, "Nope. I'm okay, I can handle myself just fine."  
  
He ruffles my head affectionately, "You're right..." then he envelopes me in a strong embrace, inhaling my scent before reluctantly letting me go. His hand lightly holds some of my tresses and he moves them behind my ear. It feels as if this would be the last time that I would be able to see him.  
  
Why?  
  
His job always made him a possible target of danger. However, because of his willpower and intellect, he always survives. Why does this time feel like the last?  
  
"I love you... I really do," he says before kissing my temple and then my lips. He usually gave me a peck before heading out, but his lips lingered longer onto mine this time. Once he turned around with his grip on the doorknob, he waves and smiles, "Later."  
  
And then, I was left with puzzled feelings. I couldn't comprehend the reasoning for his suddenly solemn attitude. Before I could contemplate anymore of the situation, a high-pitched wail breaks out from the hallway. Snapping back to reality, I rushed through the hall and into one of the bedrooms for the source of the crying. When I came near the white crib, a baby girl with maroon hair, wails and fidgets in the enclosed space. I picked her up and held her in my arms, rocking her to calm her down.  
  
"Shhh, shhh... it's okay," I whispered tenderly. "I know... Daddy went to work and you're worried about him too, I know... but Mommy's here, I'll protect you."  
  
After a while, she opened her eyes to calmly look at me, revealing the same colors as my own. She has the same hair color as Rin but she looks more like me. Thankfully, she didn't grow any abnormally shark-like teeth, but she's only grown a couple of them so far. I hope that this part of his genes doesn't pass onto her. Liking a boy would be a problem for her if she had his sharp teeth. Shaking my head, I continued to rock her in my arms until she fell asleep again.  
  
Once the sun began setting, I finally completed my freelance writing project and closed my laptop, making my way to the kitchen. I realized that we were running low on some groceries and made a note about that on a nearby notebook. Since there isn't too much to buy, I should be able to hurry to the nearest mini-market and come back home within a half-hour. I wouldn't be a responsible mother if I left my daughter all alone in that timeframe, so I gathered the necessary items for her care and put them inside a diaper bag. She was still sleeping even after I put her in the carrying car seat. When finished, I got myself ready and exited through the front door. Three doors down the main hallway of the apartment complex, a kind old lady who Rin and I got to know, lived near. Whenever we needed a babysitter, we would approach the elderly tenant and ask for her to watch our daughter.  
  
After ringing the doorbell, the door steadily opens to reveal the genial old lady, "Oh my, ________-chan. What brings you here?"  
  
Smiling, I told her about my short trip to the mini-market and she ushered me inside. I set down the car seat with my sleeping daughter in it, near the living room couch and placed the diaper bag beside her. "Thank you for always taking care of us, ma'am. I know we may be troublesome, but we truly appreciate your kindness."  
  
"Oh no, it's no trouble," she kindly waves, her wrinkles creasing as she smiles. "You and Rin-kun are always welcome to come over any time. You two remind me of my children. It makes this old woman's heart happy." she gently pats her chest with pride.  
  
Scoffing, I shook my head, "You're not that old."  
  
After leaving my daughter in the old lady's care, I set out towards the nearest mini-market. I quickly scanned the shelves and grabbed what we needed before finally reaching the cash register. When I checked the time, I realized that I took a little more than a half-hour to get the necessary groceries. Sighing, I quickened my pace to head back home. Once I reached the door to our apartment studio, I inputted the first number of the passcode on the keypad but then heard shuffling nearby.  
  
  
When I least expected it, I became his next target. He came in through the window and I tried to fight him off, but to no avail. In the end, I lost consciousness due to the cloth he securely held over my mouth and nose. I soon became the next guest star in his video message to the police. I couldn't do anything.  
  
I was powerless.  
  
The next moment, I found myself being held by the murderer in an underground factory of some sort. We were waiting for the police to arrive like he planned. Then I heard a few sets of hurried footsteps making their way to where we were. Below the platform on which we stood, I saw Rin, Sousuke, and another officer stopping in their tracks to look upwards at us. This wasn't a ransom, but a live show that the serial killer wanted to put on. He laughed and pressed a knife against my throat. The thrill of being this close to being captured, excited the man. It made him act like those cliché antagonists in dramas when they have a hostage. When one of the officers tried to advance to us, the murderer threatened to end my life on the spot and sliced the skin on my arm to prove his seriousness. I wanted to save myself, but I was immobile due to the man's grip on me and the slight pressure of the blade against my skin.  
  
He rambled on about the corruption of the law and pointed out the many mistakes that the police department made, twisting words to make Rin and the others feel guilt. He laughed at them for the increasing news about police brutality, saying that even the people who they were supposed to protect, fear and loathe them. It was true, but because certain officers made those actions, the rest of the police force, suffered. I wanted to plug my ears from the man's irrefutable statements, but soon, he stopped.  
  
"You didn't save her," the man said.  
  
Then, the frigid blade slid across my throat in one smooth motion. My eyes widen as the thick and warm crimson liquid oozes from my neck. The cut was deep and I couldn't breathe properly or swallow. The sound of Rin's scream followed by gunshots, reverberates in my ears before the loud thud of my head crashing onto the cold metal ground. I knew that the stray gunshots didn't hit my murderer since I could still feel his heavy and rushed footsteps retreating from my disabled self. My body felt heavier and I couldn't find any strength to do anything but press my hands against my slit throat. My breathing quickened from the shock, but I couldn't regulate my breathing pattern. Every time I inhaled or exhaled air through my nostrils or mouth, more of my blood gushed from my throat through my fingers. It hurts. It's hurts so much. No matter what I'm doing, the excruciating pain in my throat wouldn't go away.  
  
I'm dying, and I can't do anything to stop it.  
  
"Hey, ________?"  
  
What?  
  
"Do you remember the times when we were in high school?"  
  
It's... Rin's voice. Is this... a memory?  
  
"We went to different schools, but we were able to meet because of Haru," Rin curses under his breath for a moment before turning back to me. "Then you began showing up to my school during swim practice because Nagisa dragged you along. I still remember our first conversation... 'Are those real?' is what you said as you pointed at my muscles," he scoffs a bit as he reminiscences. "You were similar to Kou in curiosity... but... for some reason... I was drawn to you. I wanted you to notice me and look only at me. For the first time, I wanted to be selfish with a woman. I was... happy..."  
  
"I love you, ________. You make me the happiest person alive. I really love you." then he crashed his lips onto mine for a kiss. I could suddenly feel the gentle warmth on my lips. What flashed in my mind, was a memory, but it felt... real...  
  
Through my agonizing pain, I was finally able to see the face of the one person I truly wished to see all day. In my final moments, all I could've ever think about, was him.  
  
His handsome face hovers over me and his ruby orbs were filled with mixed feelings of remorse, hurt, and anger. With his arm supporting my head, I remove one of my hands from my throat to reach for him and he immediately clasps onto it with his other hand. Those beautiful eyes that once looked at me with love, were covered with pools of tears. I wanted to cry myself, but it would only be selfish of me. I wanted to reassure him with words, but I knew that if I were to try to talk, it would only shorten my time here. I wanted to continue staying by his side, even if it was for only one more second.  
  
His grip on my hand began shaking and he lowers his head in shame, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... If I had known sooner, this wouldn't have happened... you would've... I could've... I should've...!!" his voice trembles as he continues to blame himself. He clenches his free hand tightly to the point where his knuckles turned white. As he bites down on his bottom lip, his sharp teeth pierces into his skin almost to the point where blood could spill. It was painful to suffer this sensation on my neck, but not as much as it hurt me to see him in such despair.  
  
Shaking my head, I muster my energy to give one last genuine smile to the redhead. I wanted to tell him that it couldn't been helped in this situation. I had an innumerable amount of words to tell him, yet I was bound by the thin string called life I firmly held onto that felt like it would snap at any minute. I didn't want to let go. I didn't want to leave this place--his arms--just yet.  
  
Then he presses his lips onto mine. By now, I should be used to his sudden kisses, but it still surprised me. This time, it felt pleasant to feel his breathing against my cheek and his soft lips on mine. His lips were slightly salty because of his tears, and his breathing became raspy from the emotions swirling through his mind. Scoffing to myself, I laughed a bit to know that Rin is still the crybaby he once was during high school. Time seemed to cease.  
  
I wanted to stay like this... just a little longer. I hate "goodbyes." I hate these final farewells.  
  
But death approaches.  
  
My vision faded, and a scintillating white light engulfed me. I couldn't feel anything anymore.  
  
The time has come.  
  
Good-bye world.  
  
"Good-bye... Rin," is what I managed to mutter before drawing my final breath.  
  
And I closed my eyes one last time for an eternal slumber.  


 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

  
  
  
  
They say that after you experience death, everything is painless. You feel nothing after your soul separates from your body, and you first become a ghost, a soul standing in the spirit realm.  
  
I began to feel that sensation.  
  
Once I opened my eyes, I found myself staring at Rin holding my now-lifeless body. He gazed down at my face with wide eyes in disbelief. Shaking my shoulder with the arm supporting my head, he calls out my name, "________?... Hey, ________?... __-________...?"  
  
The pools of tears on the bottom of his crimson eyes began to fall onto my face as he shook his head, "No... no!... It can't be...! No! Don't say 'good-bye' to me, damnit!!" his hand gently strokes my cold and pale cheek. "________..." then he clutches onto my limp body and screamed at the top of his lungs in agony. There was nothing left to do. All of his frustrations took form of a wail filled with grief and pain.  
  
In my new transparent form, I knelt down to embrace my husband from behind. He cannot feel my presence, but it was the only thing I could think of doing. It was foolish, but I did not regret this last attempt to remain by Rin's side.

 

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

  
  
Rushed footsteps emanated from the staircase to the ground floor. A young teenage girl with mahogany hair similar to the father, dashed towards the kitchen and grabbed the toast that jumped out of the toaster. She hurriedly places a slice to her mouth as she fixes the ribbon on her school uniform. On the dinner table, a middle-aged male with red hair sat on a chair to read the newspaper. His long maroon hair was pulled back to a ponytail as the ceiling light fixtures highlighted the stubbles on his chin and medulla. He fixes his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose and comments, "Your shoe's untied."  
  
The girl groans as she chomps on the piece of bread, "I know!" she bends down to lace her shoes and picks herself up. Standing in front of a mirror, she checks her eyeliner which emphasized her (e/c) eyes that her mother passed onto her. Her facial features were similar to that of her mother's but her hair color resembled her father's. With one final look at her reflection, she nods and darts out of the front door, "Bye dad! Love you dad!"  
  
"Love you too sweetie!" the grown man replies as the door shuts.  
  
When the coast was clear, he folds the newspaper and approaches the doors to the balcony. Stepping outside allowed him to breathe in the fresh air. The neighborhood has improved ever since then, with the construction work completed for new businesses and shops. Extending his arms above and behind him, Rin heaves a sigh and rests his arms on the balcony to take a gander on the environment. It's been many years ever since the incident. He's raised a baby all by himself with some help from the kind old woman next door. Chuckling to himself, he remembers those tender moments he shared with his daughter.  
  
Looking at the sky, he smiles, "She grew up to be beautiful, just like you, ________."


End file.
